Regional Manager: SME

Job Requisition Details

Requisition ID: 147273

Location: Sandton, Johanesburg 

Closing Date:16 September 2026

Talent Acquisition: Bongiwe Mchunu

Job Family

Business and Commercial Banking SME

Career Stream

Sales and Service - Leadership 

Leadership Pipeline

Manage Managers

FAIS Affected

Job Purpose

To provide strategic leadership and commercial ownership of SME coverage within a defined region,driving sustainable revenue growth, market share expansion, and superior client value through the execution of BCB SME strategy.

The role is accountable for leading high-performing teams, enhancing customer engagement, and embeddinga disciplined credit and sales culture, ensuring delivery against Nedbank’s ambition to achieve 15% SME market share.

Why Join Our Team

Join Nedbank’s Business and Commercial Banking SME leadership team and take ownership of regional SME growth at scale. This role offers the opportunity to shape and execute SME strategy, drive sustainable revenueand market share expansion, and lead high-performing sales, service and credit teams in a complex, regulatedenvironment. You will play a key role in delivering differentiated client value, influencing senior stakeholders,and strengthening Nedbank’s presence within the SME ecosystem—while accelerating your leadership careerthrough meaningful commercial impact and strategic exposure.

Job Responsibilities

• SME Sales & Market Share Growth
  
  
  
  • Lead regional SME acquisition, cross-sell and portfolio optimisation strategies to drive revenue growth(NII/NIR).
  
  
  • Deliver against regional growth targets and actively contribute to the BCB SME market share ambition.
  
  
  • Identify and unlock sector-specific opportunities within the SME ecosystem.
  
  
  • Drive disciplined pipeline management and conversion performance across Business Managers.
  
  
  
  


• Strategic Coverage & Execution Leadership
  
  
  
  • Translate BCB SME strategy into regional execution plans and coverage models.
  
  
  • Implement dynamic portfolio segmentation and client allocation frameworks to optimise cost-to-serve andROE.
  
  
  • Lead the rollout of new SME propositions, operating models, and enablement initiatives (Project Ignitealignment).Drive agility and responsiveness to changing SME market dynamics.
  
  
  
  


• Customer & Relationship Leadership
  
  
  
  • Drive a client-centric, proactive relationship model focused on value creation and retention.
  
  
  • Lead high-impact client engagements, especially for complex or strategic SME relationships.
  
  
  • Ensure delivery of a seamless and integrated client experience across sales, service and credittouchpoints.
    Embed customer insight-led decision making through feedback, NPS and digital signals.
  
  
  
  


• Credit & Risk Leadership
  
  
  
  • Maintain strong credit oversight and governance across the region.
  
  
  • Review and guide complex credit submissions, ensuring quality, sound judgement, and alignment withrisk appetite.
  
  
  • Balance growth with sustainable risk practices, ensuring portfolio quality and profitability.
  
  
  
  


• People & Capability Leadership
  
  
  
  • Lead and develop high-performing SME business teams, including Business Managers and RelationshipService Specialists.
  
  
  • Build capability in solution selling, credit writing, sector knowledge and client engagement.
  
  
  • Drive a performance-led culture, ensuring clear accountability and high execution standards.
  
  
  • Develop a strong succession and talent pipeline aligned to SME growth.
  
  
  • Embed a credit-risk culture across teams.
  
  
  
  


• Financial & Operational Management
  
  
  
  • Own and manage regional budgets, cost-to-serve optimisation and productivity metrics.
  
  
  • Ensure efficient resource allocation, workflow management and operational discipline.
  
  
  • Drive execution excellence in projects, systems and process implementation.
  
  
  • Monitor and respond to regional performance trends and corrective actions.
  
  
  
  


• Stakeholder & Ecosystem Leadership
  
  
  
  • Build strong internal partnerships across Credit, Product, Risk, and Enablement functions.
  
  
  • Engage with external SME ecosystem stakeholders (industry bodies, partners, intermediaries).
  
  
  • Represent Nedbank in the SME market to strengthen brand presence and credibility.
  
  
  
  


• Professional Knowledge and Competencies
  
  
  
  • Strong business and financial acumen
  
  
  • Advanced credit analysis and credit writing capability
  
  
  • SME sector and market understanding
  
  
  • Strategic planning and commercial execution
  
  
  • Portfolio management and optimisation
  
  
  • Risk and compliance management
  
  
  • Data-driven decision making
  
  
  • Strategic leadership and execution
  
  
  • Driving high-performance sales culture
  
  
  • Advanced decision-making and judgement
  
  
  • Customer-centric thinking
  
  
  • Leading through change and ambiguity
  
  
  • Coaching and talent development
  
  
  • Influencing and stakeholder management
  
  
  
  

Our Ideal Candidate

• A proven SME or Commercial Banking leader with a strong track record in driving regional sales growth,portfolio optimisation and market share expansion.


• A strategic executor who translates BCB SME strategy into clear regional plans, coverage models andmeasurable commercial outcomes.


• An experienced leader of leaders, skilled at building high-performing sales, service and credit teams withstrong accountability and succession depth.


• A commercially astute professional with advanced financial and credit acumen, capable of guidingcomplex credit decisions while balancing growth, risk and profitability.


• A client-centric relationship leader who champions proactive engagement, value creation and aseamless end-to-end SME customer experience.


• A credible influencer in a matrix environment, with strong stakeholder management skills and adisciplined approach to governance, risk and regulatory compliance.

Essential Qualifications - NQF Level

Qualification

• NQF 7: Degree in Commerce, Finance, Business or related field


• Preferred: NQF 8 (Honours / Postgraduate in Finance or Business)

Minimum Experience Level

• 8–10 years in Banking / Financial Services


• Minimum 5–7 years in leadership roles managing managers


• Proven track record in SME / Commercial Banking and sales leadership

Technical / Professional Knowledge

Behavioural Competencies